SOLIDWORKS Expands to Include Embedded Electronics Through Nano Dimension Partnership

Nano Dimension has unveiled a new SOLIDWORKS add-in to its DragonFly 2020 Pro 3D Printer that makes additive manufacturing with embedded electronics a feasible option for mechanical and electrical engineers.

For the first time, 3D printing of complex prototypes made of polymers and metals and designed in Dassault Systèmes’ SOLIDWORKS applications can be easily 3D-printed on Nano Dimension’s DragonFly 2020 Pro 3D Printer in a single build process. This marks a significant advancement in how electronics are designed in SOLIDWORKS, and makes it possible to create 3D printed complex geometric structures with embedded electronics, encapsulated sensors, antennas and more.

The SOLIDWORKS add-in eliminates time-consuming processes, increases design possibilities and ultimately results in the development of more capable products. Another inherent benefit of the add-in is the dramatic reduction in the cost of errors when creating complex, geometric parts, accelerating product design and time-to-market.

“By 3D printing electronics, designers can obtain faster prototypes and work on PCBs in 3D, not just 2D,” said Suchit Jain, Vice President of Strategy & Business Development, SOLIDWORKS, Dassault Systèmes. “With Nano Dimension’s SOLIDWORKS add-in, for the first time ever users can design and 3D print electronics with a push of a button. We are proud to be partnering with an industry innovator like Nano Dimension.”

With conventional editing software for 3D-printed electronics, users are limited to designing parts made of a single material, such as metal or polymer. In contrast, the unique Nano Dimension add-in lets designers easily edit and print 3D print designs that contain conductors, without leaving SOLIDWORKS. Users point-and-click to subdivide an object, and then automatically select conductive or insulating materials for different bodies of the object and 3D print.

Nano Dimension’s 3D printing solutions support the development of objects such as sensors, antennas, printed circuit boards, conductive geometries and more. The company is laying the foundation for businesses to integrate digital manufacturing, prepare for Industry 4.0, and make the leap from prototyping to production and small-batch manufacturing using the DragonFly 2020 Pro 3D Printer.

“We developed this add-in for SOLIDWORKS applications as a direct response to our customers’ needs for prototyping increasingly complex designs,” said Simon Fried, President of Nano Dimension USA. “The SOLIDWORKS add-in for the DragonFly 2020 Pro is the first tool to enable the combination of freeform objects and embedded 3D electronics. This capability offers our customers the ability to make what is currently unmakeable. This enables new ways of thinking, new ways of designing and ultimately, providing revolutionary solutions to some of today’s toughest product design challenges.”